E-learning helps pregnant women survive eclampsia

29 Jun 2010

by: Margaret Snell

Giunti Labs is working with specialists at the University of Oxford to develop e-learning material on pre-eclampsia, a life threatening condition that can occur in pregnancy, for midwives, nurses and doctors in developing countries.

The Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and the Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute (Green Templeton College) at the University of Oxford aim to offer courses in all aspects of maternal health to healthcare professionals globally. They have been awarded a grant by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation via the New York based charity EngenderHealth, to develop the pilot e-learning materials relating to pre-eclampsia and its effective treatment.

Pre-eclampsia is characterised by high blood pressure and protein in the urine. If untreated, complications can develop such as seizures (eclampsia), strokes, kidney and liver damage and, ultimately, death. Eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia claims the lives of some 63,000 women each year around the world - as well as the lives of many of their babies.

The team has developed a pilot that aims to deliver self-paced e-learning consisting of five components of 30 minutes each. There is a basic version for healthcare professionals wishing to understand the fundamentals, as well as a more advanced version for those wishing to improve their knowledge of the management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, providing the evidence behind the recommendations.

The target audience for this module is midwives, nurses and doctors, working in local hospitals in India, Mexico and Nigeria.

Dr Catriona Murray, who has worked on the project for the last two years, said: “The success of this pilot will determine whether or not we are able to secure further funding to develop a whole programme in maternal health. Between 300,000 and 500,000 women die each year from problems related to pregnancy,” she added, “Ninety-nine per cent of these deaths occur in developing countries and many of them are preventable.”

 

 

|